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Paralegals and Legal Assistants Salary in Illinois

What Paralegals and Legal Assistants earn in Illinois, labor market by labor market, and what is left after taxes and living costs in 9 counties.

Average in IL
$67,094
local median wages, weighted
Rank among states
9 of 14
published states
Workers in state
17,630
BLS employment estimate
Wage areas
1
9 counties

Pay by labor market in Illinois

Paralegals and Legal Assistants pay by wage area in Illinois
Wage areaMedian wageTake-home payMargin per yearLargest county
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$70,550$54,832$26,455Cook County, IL

Counties ranked by what is left after the basics

Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Illinois counties, by yearly margin
#CountyMedian wageTake-home payMargin per year
1DeKalb County, IL$70,550$54,832$33,955
2Grundy County, IL$70,550$54,832$33,019
3Cook County, IL$70,550$54,832$26,455
4DuPage County, IL$70,550$54,832$26,455
5Lake County, IL$70,550$54,832$26,455
6Will County, IL$70,550$54,832$26,455
7Kane County, IL$70,550$54,832$26,455
8McHenry County, IL$70,550$54,832$26,455
9Kendall County, IL$70,550$54,832$26,335

Paralegals and Legal Assistants pay in Illinois

The employment-weighted average of local median wages for Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Illinois is $67,094, based on 17,630 workers. Among the 14 states with published data, that ranks number 9. The BLS national median for the occupation is $62,890, so Illinois averages 6.7% above it.

Published data for Illinois currently covers the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, with a local median wage of $70,550.

Cost of living for Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Illinois

We compare 9 Illinois counties after federal, Social Security, Medicare and state taxes and the four basics: a one-bedroom rental, food, home energy and gasoline. DeKalb County, IL leaves the largest yearly margin, $33,955. Kendall County, IL leaves the smallest, $26,335. The median wage covers all four basics in 9 of the 9 counties.

Paralegals and Legal Assistants in other states

The states with the highest average local median wages for Paralegals and Legal Assistants are District of Columbia ($81,590), West Virginia ($78,593), California ($77,629) and Virginia ($75,159).

Frequently asked questions: Paralegals and Legal Assistants in Illinois

How much do Paralegals and Legal Assistants earn in Illinois?

The employment-weighted average of local median wages is $67,094.

Which Illinois county is best for Paralegals and Legal Assistants?

DeKalb County, IL leaves the largest yearly margin after taxes and the four basics ($33,955). Grundy County, IL follows at $33,019.